1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to adjustable windshields for vehicles. More specifically, this invention relates to adjustable windshields for golf carts or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Due to the considerable distances between respective tees and greens in golf courses, motorized vehicles have been produced to facilitate transportation of golfing enthusiasts. Such golf carts have proved popular with young and old alike and their utility has extended to that of local transportation, particularly where residential communities have been built in the vicinity of golf courses. Often the electric powered golf cart has been found more practical for a short journey to the local shops than the automobile counterpart.
However, because of the lightweight construction of prior art golf carts and the like, weather protection has been limited to either flexible translucent covers or to lightweight plastic screens. Although it is desirable to have some type of weather protection to deflect the wind or rain from occupants of the golf cart of the like, such prior art covers and screens have proved somewhat cumbersome. Considerable effort has been required in connection with the prior art covers and screens in the erection or storage of the same.
The adjustable windshield of the present invention overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art devices by providing a simple and low cost windshield that will easily be moved from an operative first position in which this shield will deflect the wind and/or rain from the occupants of the golf cart to a second inoperative position in which the windshield is stowed adjacent the roof of the golf cart or the like.
Various prior art devices have been proposed to provide a measure of weather protection to the occupants of a golf cart or the like. Among such prior art proposals, U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,816 teaches a window tracking mechanism including a windshield which is operatively connected to two pairs of rollers. The rollers are designed to follow the pattern of the front frame and the top frame of the vehicle such that the windshield is slid rearwardly onto the top frame.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 1,529,601 discloses another window tracking mechanism in which the upper portion of the windshield is operatively connected to a horizontal track which enables the windshield to be slid rearwardly thereon for storage.
Although the prior art devices give the required degree of weather protection to the occupants of the golf cart of the like, they have suffered from several problems associated with the relatively complex tracking systems. It is the primary object of the invention to provide an adjustable windshield that overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art devices and provides an improvement which significantly contributes to the reliability and ease with which the occupants of the golf cart or the like can move the windshield from an operative to an inoperative position adjacent the roof of the golf cart or the like.
Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable windshield for a golf cart or the like that is extremely simple in construction and is cheaper to produce than the prior art proposals.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of an adjustable windshield that can easily be stowed out of use by the user of the golf cart or the like.
Another object of the invention is the provision of a windshield for a golf cart or the like which can easily by retrofitted onto an existing golf cart or the like.
Another object of this invention is the provision of an adjustable windshield for a golf cart or the like which will be securely located in the stowed position without the possibility of rattling or scuffing against the existing roof structure of the golf cart or the like.
Another object of the invention is the provision of an adjustable windshield that can easily be manufactured in kit form for subsequent shipment in packed form to local distributors who can quickly assemble the windshields to existing golf carts or the like.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more pertinent features and applications of the invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Particularly with regard to the use of the invention disclosed herein, this should not be construed to limited to adjustable windshields for golf carts, but should include adjustable windshields for lightweight side-by-side bicycles, tractors, invalid carriages, police patrol carts, traffic warden carts and the like.